1 week agoBoston Red Sox right-hander Kenley Jansen (back) will not pitch on Tuesday and is still dealing with back tightness, according to manager Alex Cora. Jansen was scratched on Monday but was originally scheduled to pitch on Tuesday with four more spring outings in mind. He has mad just one spring outing on March 15 and allowed three earned runs on two homers across just 2/3 of an inning. Cora said the veteran is running out of time to be ready for Opening Day. "He's running out of time," the manager said. "We still have time, but we're running out of time." The Red Sox open the regular season on March 28 in Seattle. Jansen posted a 3.63 ERA in the 2023 season, the second-worst mark of his 14-year career while his 27.7% K% was the worst mark of his career.Source: Alex Speier
1 week agoLos Angeles Angels first baseman Nolan Schanuel (back) is not playing on Tuesday and remains day to day. He is reportedly feeling better and could return to the club's lineup on Wednesday versus the Giants. The 22-year-old was scratched on Monday after feeling something in his back while stretching for a bull but was told by trainers the issue isn't serious. "There's a possibility tomorrow he'd probably be back in the lineup. A possibility. Don't hold me to that fact if you don't see him in there," Angels skipper Ron Washington said. Schanuel is hitting .244 with one homer, one steal, and four RBI across 45 plate appearances so far in Cactus League action after debuting with a .275 average with one homer and a healthy 15.2% BB% across 132 plate appearances with the Angels in 2023, reaching the majors just a couple of months after being drafted 11th overall in June.Source: Jeff Fletcher
1 week agoAtlanta Braves pitcher Spencer Strider is set to start on Opening Day on March 28 versus the Philadelphia Phillies opposite Phillies right-hander Zack Wheeler. It's the first of what should be many Opening Day nods for the right-hander who comes into the 2024 season as the top fantasy starting pitching option available. Strider worked to a 3.86 ERA across 32 starts in the 2023 season but also paced the big leagues with 281 strikeouts, 44 more than second-place Kevin Gausman (237). Additionally, he also posted a 2.85 FIP and a 2.86 SIERA, suggesting he was much better than his surface ERA suggests. Strider should be the first pitcher off the draft board in all formats in 2024.Source: Justin Toscano
1 week agoThe Houston Astros do not plan on pivoting to free-agent left-hander Jordan Montgomery after failing to land Blake Snell in free agency. It was recently reported that the club was in heavy pursuit of Snell but that came to a conclusion when the two-time Cy Young winner landed with the Giants on a two-year deal on Monday. As a result, Montgomery becomes the best free agent available after he worked to a 3.20 ERA across 32 starts in the 2023 season, including a tidy 2.79 ERA across 11 starts with the Rangers following a trade-deadline deal from the Cardinals. He also tossed a 2.90 ERA in 31 postseason frames, helping lead Texas to its first World Series in franchise history a season ago.Source: Jim Bowden
1 week agoThe Texas Rangers announced on Tuesday that right-hander Nathan Eovaldi will start the team's Opening Day game on March 28 at home versus the visiting Chicago Cubs. The injury-prone Eovaldi will kick off the year as the Rangers look to defend their World Series title from last fall. The 34-year-old veteran has made the All-Star team twice in the last three years and went 12-5 with a 3.63 ERA (3.88 FIP) and 1.14 WHIP while walking 47 and striking out 132 hitters in 144 innings over his 25 starts in 2023 during the regular season. During the team's run to the World Series in the playoffs, he went 5-0 with a 2.95 ERA and 41 K's in 36 2/3 frames. Eovaldi can be a solid fantasy asset when healthy, but he's gone over 150 innings just once since the 2016 campaign.Source: Texas Rangers
1 week agoThe Los Angeles Angels announced on Tuesday that left-hander Patrick Sandoval will start on Opening Day on March 28 against the Baltimore Orioles on the road. Against the defending American League East champions on the road in a hitter-friendly ballpark is not the place you want to take your chances on Sandoval for fantasy purposes. Ranked as RotoBaller's No. 99 fantasy starter heading into the 2024 season, the 27-year-old southpaw went 7-13 last year with a 4.11 ERA (4.18 FIP) and 1.51 WHIP with 74 walks and 128 strikeouts in 144 2/3 innings over his 28 starts in his fifth season in the big leagues. It was a step back from his 2022 campaign. On top of it, Sandoval hasn't been sharp in Cactus League play this spring with a 7.15 ERA, 10 strikeouts and six walks in 11 1/3 innings.Source: Los Angeles Angels
1 week agoThe Oakland Athletics have named veteran left-hander Alex Wood as their Opening Day starter for March 28 versus the Cleveland Guardians. Wood doesn't have a ton of fantasy upside these days, especially while pitching for the lowly A's, but he'll make for a decent sleeper option in DFS right off the bat against Cleveland. The 33-year-old southpaw worked in a swing role for the San Francisco Giants in 2023 and went 5-5 with a 4.33 ERA (4.47 FIP) and 1.43 WHIP while walking 42 and striking out 74 in 97 2/3 innings over 29 appearances (12 starts). Durability and a lack of strikeouts make Wood one to avoid in mixed fantasy leagues, but the fact that he'll be a full-time start in Oakland this year will make him valuable in AL-only setups in 2024.Source: Oakland A's
1 week agoToronto Blue Jays right-hander Kevin Gausman (shoulder) will throw a two-inning simulated game in camp on Wednesday, according to manager John Schneider. Because of right-shoulder fatigue that he developed in spring training, Gausman will not be the team's Opening Day starter on March 28 against the Tampa Bay Rays, although he should be able to make his 2024 debut for the Jays in the middle of April, barring a setback with his arm. When healthy, the 33-year-old veteran is the ace of Toronto's pitching staff and should still be considered a top-10 fantasy arm. The former first-rounder in 2012 out of LSU by the Orioles has been an All-Star in two of the last three years and went 12-9 in 2023 with a 3.16 ERA and 1.18 WHIP with 55 walks and a league-leading 237 K's in 31 starts.Source: The Athletic - Kaitlyn McGrath
1 week agoToronto Blue Jays right-hander Alek Manoah (shoulder) is scheduled to throw a side bullpen session in camp on Tuesday. It's an important step for Manoah, as it will be his first time throwing off a mound this spring since he reported soreness in his right shoulder earlier this month. The good news is that the 26-year-old doesn't have any structural damage in his arm, but the bad news is this is a setback he really couldn't afford after a disastrous 2023 season in which he was demoted to the minors two different times. Manoah will begin the year on the injured list, and there's no timetable for when he'll be able to rejoin the team's starting rotation to make his season debut. Those that were considering Manoah as a low-cost, bounce-back candidate in 2024 might want to look elsewhere for now.Source: The Athletic - Kaitlyn McGrath
1 week agoToronto Blue Jays first baseman Joey Votto (ankle) is considered day-to-day after rolling his right ankle in his Grapefruit League debut with the team on Sunday. The injury isn't very serious, as Votto is scheduled to take live batting practice on the field in camp on Tuesday. It remains to be seen when Votto will be allowed to play in another spring game, but the injury isn't very serious at all and shouldn't keep him from being ready for the start of the 2024 regular season. Given how late the 40-year-old signed with Toronto, he's expected to open the year in the minors with Triple-A Buffalo, but he should eventually become an experienced left-handed bat off the bench for the Blue Jays in 2024 in what could be his final season of professional baseball.Source: The Athletic - Kaitlyn McGrath
1 week agoToronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider announced on Tuesday morning that right-hander Jose Berrios will make the team's Opening Day start on March 28 on the road against the Tampa Bay Rays. "He embodies what we're talking about when we talk about stuff, durability, teammate, professionalism. I was thrilled to give him that news this morning," Schneider said. Berrios gets the nod with ace Kevin Gausman (shoulder) working through shoulder issues in spring training. It won't be the easiest matchup for DFS purposes against Toronto's American League East rival on the road. The 29-year-old Puerto Rican hurler had a solid year in 2023 in his second year in Toronto, going 11-12 with a 3.65 ERA and 1.19 WHIP with 52 walks and 184 K's in 32 starts. Berrios isn't as intriguing as he once was in fantasy, but he still has a solid floor as a back-end starter.Source: MLB.com - Keegan Matheson
1 week agoBoston Red Sox left-hander Chris Murphy's (elbow) MRI exam showed ligament "damage" in his elbow, according to manager Alex Cora. It's not good, obviously, and means the 25-year-old southpaw won't be on the team's Opening Day roster out of camp. A decision on whether he'll need surgery on his elbow will come in the next few days. Murphy had been competing for a spot in Boston's bullpen as a left-handed arm. If he's forced to go under the knife, it could put an end to his entire 2024 season before it even starts. Murphy was taken in the sixth round of 2019 out of San Diego and made his big-league debut in Boston last year, recording a 4.91 ERA, a 1.41 WHIP, his first career save, 17 walks and 49 strikeouts in 47 2/3 relief innings.Source: MassLive.com - Christopher Smith
1 week agoBoston Red Sox right-hander Brayan Bello will make the team's Opening Day start on March 28 on the road in Seattle against the Mariners. Right-hander Nick Pivetta will get the ball for Game 2. Bello gets the nod to kick things off after Boston gave the 24-year-old a six-year, $55 million contract extension during spring training. He's a young pitcher on the rise after going 12-11 with a 4.24 ERA (4.54 FIP) and 1.34 WHIP with 45 walks and 132 strikeouts in 157 innings over 28 starts in his first full season in the big leagues in 2023. If Bello can add a third effective pitch to his arsenal to keep hitters off balance, he has the potential for a breakout campaign in 2024 for fantasy managers. The matchup on the road in Seattle isn't a bad one for DFS gamers, either. RotoBaller has Bello ranked as the No. 59 fantasy starter going into his third MLB season.Source: The Boston Globe - Alex Speier
1 week agoRight-hander Zach Eflin will be the Tampa Bay Rays' Opening Day starter on March 28 against the Toronto Blue Jays at home. Eflin being named the team's Opening Day starter in 2024 hardly comes as a surprise following his career year in 2023 with Tampa, when he won a league-high 16 games while also posting a career-best 3.50 ERA (3.01 FIP) and 1.02 WHIP with 24 walks and a career-high 186 strikeouts in 177 2/3 innings over his 31 starts. The 29-year-old will be a two-start pitcher for the opening week of the season, although his matchup against Toronto on Opening Day is one to fade him in for DFS purposes. Although it would be unwise for fantasy managers to expect Eflin to be a top-10 pitcher in back-to-back seasons, he profiles as a solid No. 2 fantasy starter in his second year in Tampa.Source: Tampa Bay Times - Marc Topkin
1 week agoPittsburgh Pirates third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes continued his hot hitting in Monday's 11-2 Grapefruit League rout of the Phillies. The 27-year-old went 3-for-4 with a run scored, making it three straight multi-hit performances for the youngster and the sixth of the spring. He's now 16-for-38 (.421) with two doubles, three home runs, nine RBI, and eight runs scored in 13 spring games. Perhaps even more impressive is that he's struck out just once in those 38 at-bats. Hayes is an all-around, albeit somewhat unexciting, contributor for fantasy as he'll approach 20 home runs and provide double-digit steals. Right now he's ranked as the thirteenth option at third base at RotoBaller, but it wouldn't be unrealistic to see him in the top-12 by season's end.Source: ESPN